Match-box.



F. WILLIAMS.

MATCH BOX.

nruouxon FILED NOV. 28, 1911.

1,049,788. Patented Jam-7,1913.

INVENTOR WITNESSES T JMIMW v ATTORN EY FAIRFAX WILLIAMS, or B KERSFIELD, CALIFORNIA.

MATCH-BOX.

' Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jane, 1913.

Application filed November 28, 1911. Serial No. 662,813.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FAIRFAX WILLIAMS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bakersfield, in the county of Kern and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Match-Boxes, of which thefollowing is a specification.

The present invention relates to improvements in match boxes, the object of the vention being to provide a match box which can be readily supported upon a wall or 1n any other position convenient for use, and from which the operation of extracting or withdrawing the matches, one or more at a time, will be very easy and rapid.

In the accompanying drawing, Figure 1 is a broken front View of my improved match box in position; Fig. 2 is a side view of the match box detached; Fig. 3 is a bottom plan view thereof.

Referring to the drawing, 1 indicates the body of my improved box, the back or bottom 2 ofwhich is provided with a loop 3 and hooks 4: adapted to engage nails 5 driven in a wall 6, so that said body may be conveniently suspended therefrom. Said box is of a general rectangular form, and

- of a width slightly greater than the length of the matches to be contained therein. When in position the lower portion 7 of the back of said box slopes forwardly from the wall, so that said lower portion and the front or cover 8 of the box converge downwardly toward each other. Said cover 8 is formed at each of its upper and side edges with a narrow flange 9 fitting snugly over the front or upper edges of the body of the box and the lower portions of said side flanges are extended rearwardly as far as the forwardly sloping lower portion of the back of the box to form tongues 10 which are bent over said sloping back to engage the same. The cover 8 is formed with a pair of fingers 11 extending downwardly in the plane of the cover from its lower edge, and the sloping portion 7 is in like manner formed with a pair of fingers 12 extending downwardly in.v its plane from its lower edge. The fingers of each pair are equally spaced from one another, and each finger 11 extending from the cover registers with a corresponding finger 12 extending from the back. The lower edges of corresponding fingers of the cover and back approach sufficiently near one another to prevent a match dropping between them by its own weight or that of the superincumbent matches. The fingers of each pair are sufficiently far apart to permit of a persons thumb and forefinger being inserted between them to grasp a match, and said fingers are made of material having sufficient resiliency that, if a match therebetween be manually grasped and pulled downward, they will separate from one another to allow the match to pass between them and will then immediately spring back and prevent the dropping, out of the remaining matches.

' The box having been supplied with matches, the cover is put in place by sliding the tongues 10 upward on the convergent lower portion of the box until the flange 9 of the upper edge of said cover arrives at the level of the upper end of the box, when it can be pressed over said upper end, and the cover is thus retained in position. The box is then hung in position on a wall or other support, when the matches drop, as shown in the drawing, so that a sufiicient number of them lie between the fingers l1 and 12. When the lowermost. match is grasped and pulled downward, the fingers 11 and 12 separate to allow the match to be withdrawn and then immediately spring back, retaining the remaining matches.

It will be seen that, with the above construction, in which the lower part of the cover is secured to the body of the match box against horizontal movement by the oblique tongues 10, and the upper end of the cover is provided with a flange 9 engaging the body of the box to prevent downward movement, the match box may be made of comparatively thin material and still be strong and substantial, since said tongues and flange assist the cover in preserving the shape of the box. This is advantageous in two respects, first, on account of cheapness of manufacture, and second, it enables the spring fingers to be made light and thin so that the matches are easily removed from the box.

I claim In combination with the body of a box open at the front, and having a closed top, back, and sides, and the lower; portion of the back sloping forwardly downward, of a cover having flanges fitting snugly over tlw top and sides of the body of. the box, the

lower edge of the cover being formed with spring fingers terminating at their lower my hand in the presence of two subscribing ends in close proximity to the lower edge of Witnesses. the sloping portion of the back, said cover also having portions bent back over said FAIRFAX WILLIAMS sloping portion to prevent forward disen- Witnesses: gagelnent of the cover from the body. 7 THos. O. WILLIAMS,

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set J. R. WILLIAMS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents. Washington, D. G. 

